The Price of Power
by Itachi4thewin
Summary: Sasuke knows what power will cost him. Now all he has to do is pay the price...
1. Dominance

The Price of Power

Primary Characters: Sasuke, Kabuto, Orochimaru

Premise: Sasuke is now in the hands of Orochimaru, what will his life be like now?

Pairings: None yet, and if there are any I PROMISE it will not be Sasu/Orochi, it'll be a het pairing of some kind.

**A/N: Trying out a chapter based fic, so here's the first chapter. It's pretty short but that's where a good place to stop was. I don't know how long the later chapters will be but my style may end up being many short chapters, I just don't know.**

Chapter 1: _Dominance_

Sasuke made his way into the dark opening, finding himself in a roughly hewn hallway, the light fading as it sank into the rock. He walked along the corridor, toward his new life.

He had come to Orochimaru of his own will, knowing what it meant, knowing the servitude demanded in exchange for power. The power to kill his brother, the power to _destroy_ the one who had taken his family and his clan. Even though he had chosen this road, he was not happy with the thought of submitting to anyone, not even the one who held the key to his goals. _If he teaches me what I need, if he helps me unlock the true Sharingan, I don't care if I have to obey, I don't care about the cost. Itachi must die. He must die by – my – hands._

A hidden door slid open behind him. He spun quickly releasing four _kunai_ in a single, smooth motion. With a single muffled _thunk,_ they sunk deeply into Kabuto's chest. Spitting blood, the surprised shinobi dropped to his knees, wheezing…and disappeared, replaced by a plain block of stone.

The real Kabuto emerged from the doorway grinning, his glasses reflecting the dim light in the passageway.

"I'm glad I was prepared for your reaction, Sasuke-kun. Your aim is indeed impeccable."

"Kabuto, what are you doing here? I didn't realize that Orochimaru was interested in average shinobi." Sasuke resumed a more relaxed stance, but he was still ready to move quickly. Something wasn't right.

"I am here because Orochimaru-sama wants me here, and I am hardly an average shinobi," Kabuto replied with a tone that cheerfully hinted at thinly veiled menace. "Please, follow me into the compound, it has been designed to confuse people unfamiliar with its structure." He cautiously walked past Sasuke and moved deeper underground.

Sasuke followed, thinking quickly. _He's just a Genin, a normal blundering Konoha ninja. Why does Orochimaru want him here? How is he "hardly an average shinobi"? He barely survived the second test in the Chuunin exam and withdrew before even the preliminary round of the third test. He's weak and he lacks ambition…**why**__does Orochimaru want him here, and how can he be so confident around me?_

Kabuto followed a path so convoluted that, even as intelligent as he was, Sasuke could no longer mentally retrace his steps. He was trapped in this "compound" and no longer had any choice but to follow Kabuto onwards.

After what seemed an eternity, they emerged into a low-ceilinged room, sputtering torches along the walls spreading a dim shivering light. A simple, heavy stone chair sat in the room, its back and arms all of one height. A heavily bandaged man sat in the chair as if it were a gilded throne, and as if he possessed the authority to command the lives of millions.

The posture and arrogance of the man quickly told Sasuke that _this_ was Orochimaru, but Sasuke was _not_ going to start out their association with anything resembling obedience. Sasuke approached the figure arrogantly, taking on an air of extreme superiority.

"Sasuke-kun, show respect to Orochimaru-sama. This arrogance is no way to get acquainted," Kabuto said smoothly, clearly sensing what Sasuke was attempting to do.

Sasuke spared Kabuto a quick, murderous glare, and turned back to the seated figure. "If my actions are 'no way to get acquainted' what would you suggest? Perhaps, I should demonstrate my skills by planting another handful of knives in your chest?" Sasuke grinned wickedly and was suddenly spinning a pair of _kunai_ in his right hand. "Stay out of affairs that do not concern you, Kabuto. My business here is with Orochimaru, and no one else."

An eerie laugh came from beneath Orochimaru's bandaged face. "Oh my, I think I like him, Kabuto." Orochimaru continued to laugh for some time as Sasuke pondered his acknowledgement of Kabuto. "Sasuke-kun, Kabuto is here because he is an excellent medical shinobi. He possesses skills that I can use to further my aim, my goals. He is also a wonderful spy, gathering information from Konoha for years for my use. I would be most upset if you were to kill him, and even so, I would recommend against the attempt. He is far more powerful than he appears; he is really on a level similar to that of your sensei, Kakashi. He can be quite cruel when he's angered, and you couldn't kill him if you tried. Yet. I intend to see you get stronger quickly, and that admirable Sharingan of yours should make things much easier."

Sasuke let this information sift into his mind. Kabuto's strength was irrelevant, if Orochimaru wanted him alive, Sasuke would leave him alive; he couldn't risk angering his new sensei. "Fine. I won't lay a finger on Kabuto. Now, you say you 'intend to see me get stronger quickly'. In that case, teach me. _Now._" Sasuke felt that if he started with demands this early, he could always apologize later and it would hopefully get things moving.

Pain enveloped him, his body was being crushed, his mind was burning. His head flailed wildly as he tried to see what was happening to him. There was nothing, nothing was attacking him, nothing was touching him. He threw his chakra into his eyes, powering his Sharingan. Then, he could see the thin lines of chakra coming from Orochimaru, laying intricate patterns over the curse seal on his shoulder. Patterns that from their very form spoke of pain and suffering. The chakra strings dissipated, and Sasuke sagged panting as the pain subsided.

"_I_ am the one giving _you_ power, Sasuke-kun. _I_ am the one who will decide what you get and when. When you have learned enough to merit opinions and ideas, I will listen, and perhaps, I will eventually be willing to indulge some requests from you, but you will _never_ demand from me!" Orochimaru rose slowly and walked to the panting boy. "For now, you will go to your chamber and rest. Tomorrow we will begin."


	2. Beginnings

Chapter 2 – _Beginnings_

Sasuke woke suddenly from his fitful sleep, his right had around the grip of a _kunai_, his left already reaching for shuriken from his pouch on the small table next to his "bed". He relaxed as he realized where he was, and that he was alone. Sinking back onto the bare stone slab that served as a mattress, he peered into the darkness, remembering what his room looked like lit.

A roughly hewn eight foot by ten foot chamber carved out of solid rock. The ceiling domed slightly, the tool marks clearly evident. A single torch bracket by the door, holding a stub of wood topped in oiled rags and reeds. The "furniture" was plain. His bed was simply a block of stone that hadn't been carved out to make empty space in the room. His "table" was the same, just somewhat smaller.

When Kabuto had led him here a few hours before, he hadn't voiced a complaint; he wasn't about to show any weakness in front of Orochimaru's henchman. He had simply surveyed the room with all the contempt he could muster into his expression, clearly showing that he thought the accommodations beneath him. Kabuto had grinned seeing his reaction to the room.

"Get used to it, Sasuke-kun. A shinobi must make the best of any and every situation." Kabuto moved into the small room and gave Sasuke a mocking tour. "That," he pointed to the larger of the two stone blocks, "is your bed, and that," his attention shifted to the smaller of the blocks, "is your table. I hope you find your room comfortable, and I advise you get what rest you can, as Orochimaru-sama ordered. You'll likely need it tomorrow." Kabuto left the room, still smiling, and shut the door behind him.

Sasuke waited for a slow count of ten to be sure that the infuriating man was gone before letting out a low curse and burying a _kunai_ and three shuriken into the "table". "I'm going to have that man's head…right after I feel the life leave my brother's broken body," Sasuke growled to the empty room. _I thought I was **valued**, treasured. What is **this?**__This room is a joke, I have no need, or want, to be pampered but this is ridiculous. They are going out of their way to make my life difficult. They are trying to **break** me. Hmph, well we'll see about that._

He quietly went to the bed and sat down, thinking. If Kabuto was saying that he needed his rest for tomorrow, at least that meant he would be starting his training, starting to learn how to kill Itachi. With that comforting thought he'd lowered himself onto the stone and tried to sleep.

But sleep hadn't come easily, as was to be expected on a pointlessly uncomfortable bed and in an unfamiliar and more than a little hostile situation. Now(,) he was awake again, for what felt like the hundredth time. Sleeping and waking so repeatedly was making his head feel as if his brain had been replaced by sand. Deciding to give up on sleep Sasuke sat up and dispelled the Genjutsu that he had laid over the torch to sink the room into darkness. The flickering light of the torch illuminated the room, revealing a scroll on his table that had not been there when he had gone to sleep. _Strange, I have traps all over that door, I'm sure no one has been in here, and yet there is a scroll. Perhaps Kabuto **is** as good as Orochimaru claims._

Moving to his table Sasuke reached for the scroll…and paused. As his hand approached the scroll, he could feel the residues if chakra around it. He grinned as he activated his Sharingan. The grin slid off of his face as he saw the chakra around the scroll and, because of his bloodline limit, understood its purpose. If he had touched the scroll and triggered this intricate trap he would have been killed; slowly, painfully and with no hope of reversal once it had begun. This was the most brutal technique he had ever seen, with the exception of Tsukuyomi.

He pulled the _kunai _that he had thrown earlier free of the table, and wove his own chakra over the blade, using a similar idea to that of the Hyuuga Juuken. Using the chakra infused blade, he carefully severed the primary flow of chakra over the scroll, and allowed his grin to reappear as the entire web dissipated. He reached for the scroll and unrolled it.

Once again his grin disappeared and this time his mouth twisted into an expression of sheer rage as he read the scroll.

"Good morning Sasuke-kun,

I hope you slept well in your new room. You are no doubt curious as to how this scroll appeared in your room when you had such sophisticated and admirable traps set upon the doorway. Well I will tell you the truth Sasuke-kun: the scroll didn't find a way into your room during the night. You are now in a different room, and this scroll was placed here at the same time you were. Your traps posed no significant problem to bypass and thanks to Kabuto's wonderful skills, he kept you asleep as he moved you here.

This room is to be your first lesson from me. Throughout it you will find traps, hidden weapons, and concealed food and water. You must survive in that room for three days. I do not want you to die, but if you are so weak and foolish that you cannot pass this challenge you are of no use to me. My advice would be to keep your Sharingan activated perpetually during that period to help ensure your wellbeing. I realize the significant drain this will put upon your chakra, but if it becomes necessary, you can always activate my wonderful gift to you, the curse seal on your shoulder. I will see you again in three days.

Best of luck

Orochimaru

The Greatest of the Sannin"

As soon as Sasuke's eyes passed the last word, the scroll was aflame. He dropped it quickly and carefully nursed his blistering hands. "What is going on here!" Sasuke yelled as he turned to survey the room with his Sharingan. His enhanced eyes saw hundreds, if not thousands of chakra webs throughout the room. Genjutsu predominated, although there was a great deal of _very_ nasty skeins of chakra that Sasuke could see were designed to severely injure, if not kill, the target. _Three days in this room? That is going to be very unpleasant. Oh well, I might as well start clearing some of this mess._

Sasuke carefully lifted his pouch off the table and inspected it for any traps, there appeared to be none. _At least they had the respect to leave my possessions alone._ He removed a small jar and opened it, carefully spreading the healing salve onto his burnt hands.

Once he had taken care of the open wounds, he picked up the _kunai _he had already woven with his chakra. Starting from his bed he began to clear out the traps and Genjutsu he saw.

Hours later, he had made some progress. The area around his bed and table were mostly clear; the remaining traps were created such that if they were dispelled another web across the room would be triggered. Sasuke sat on his bed, bleeding badly from cuts on his arms, chest and back, his eyes haunted with the memories of the images and feelings brought to him by the various Genjutsu that had gripped his mind.

He moved painfully to open the jar of medicated cream once again. He spread it sparingly on the cuts, watching as the bleeding stopped before his eyes. He then turned to the spoils of his effort. Sitting on his table were three small satchels of food and six good sized clay pots of water.

All nine items had been hidden under Genjutsus and had been heavily trapped. The gash that ran down his back, frighteningly close to his spine, had come from obtaining the third pack of food. Each bag of food held the same contents: two rolls of bread, some salted meat, and a small waxed block of cheese. Apparently, Orochimaru did want him to survive; with those packs alone he could keep up his strength for three days, although he _would_ still be rather hungry. He also still had about half the room to clear, and the area remaining was much more densely covered in woven chakra.

Sasuke opened one of the food packs and calmly ate one of the rolls, and a few bites of the salted meat. It wasn't half bad, he decided, as he chewed the tough meat; he could feel his strength returning. His throat spasmed, constricting, tightening, cutting off his air. He choked as the last bite of meat was caught in his closing esophagus. _How could I have been so stupid…of course the food was poisoned!_

He frantically searched the safe part of the room for anything that could help him. There was nothing. He knew there was no way he could stop the poison, he needed to find a way to keep breathing until the effects wore off. His eyes flew to the torch on the wall. The bundle of reeds! The path to the torch wasn't clear, he was running out of air, he needed oxygen, needed to breathe. He grabbed a shuriken and some twine from his pouch. Quickly tying the cord through the shuriken he let it fly at the torch. With the shuriken embedded in the wooden stump of the torch Sasuke pulled on the twine, dragging the torch across the room. As soon as the torch was in reach he grabbed it and broke off the hollow end of a reed. He tipped his head back and tried to force the read into his closing throat. The end of the read pushed against the swollen blockage but couldn't force a path through. Sasuke could feel himself losing consciousness, could feel the room swimming. Knowing he had no choice now, Sasuke picked up a _kunai_.

He set the tip of the knife to his throat, just above his chest, and thrust in quickly. The pain was unbelievable, the nerves in his neck unused to even normal contact screamed as they felt the invasion of the steel blade. Sasuke forced himself to think, to follow through with what he had begun. He took up the reed once again and forced it into the open wound in his neck. The muscles around the wound grabbed at the read, sealing the tube into his trachea. Wonderfully cool air rushed through the hollow plant as his lungs instinctively fought for air. As Sasuke realized that he had done it, that now, with luck, he would survive, relief washed over him and he collapsed from exhaustion.

He woke on the floor of the chamber, listening to the rhythmic wheezing for a few seconds before realizing that it was air rushing into the reed protruding from his neck. He sat up slowly, his neck burning from the wound and his head throbbing from near suffocation. He looked around and realized that he could no longer see the traps. He thought that Orochimaru may have decided to let him out due to the injury, that he may be spared the remaining however long was left. He got to his feet and moved half a step toward the door before he felt his foot pass through a fine thread of chakra. A stone shot out of the wall toward his chest. He moved quickly trying to avoid the heavy projectile, but he stumbled, dizzy. The stone crashed into his left arm and he felt it break at the elbow and his shoulder…shifted, his arm separating from the joint. He spun to the floor screaming in pain.

It was only after he had finally mastered the pain in his arm that he realized that he had allowed his Sharingan to disappear, explaining why he could not see the traps. His eyes went red as he looked carefully around the room. The traps were still there, all of them. The effort of maintaining the Sharingan was too much, and he was overrun by a black wall of weariness.

Once again he woke on the floor of the chamber. He wasn't one to make the same mistake twice however; before he even moved he channeled chakra into his eyes and made sure that it was safe to stand. His arm screamed as he rose, his neck pounded, and his head throbbed with a nasty counterpoint.

He went to the table and emptied all of the food from the bags. He took each bag and carefully cut it into strips using his right arm as much as possible, but it was a two handed job. By the time he had fashioned a crude sling for his injured arm he was sweating and panting in pain. As he finished, he looked across the room at the remaining traps woven throughout the room; taunting him.

He knew there was no way he could clear those traps one by one, not in this condition. He thought about his options. He could leave them, and just wait out the remaining time; he knew that this made the most sense, but it was unacceptable to him. _If I can't do this, how can I face Itachi?_ He thought of trying to clear them all at once, but couldn't see how to do it. Finally he came to the conclusion that he could do it by throwing _kunai_ and shuriken woven with his chakra, but he needed a way to protect himself from the traps effects. Looking around the room his gaze fell onto the solid stone table.

He once again lifted the same _kunai_ that he had been using from the start; it had been so reliable, so faithful. _I will keep this knife, always. I will name it…Sakura._ He smirked as he thought of how obnoxious the girl would be if she knew. _She is such a nuisance, but she showed me such affection, such love, and even though I could never tell her this, it meant a lot to me._

Using Sakura, infused with chakra, he slowly chipped away a slab off the top of the table. It would be big enough to take cover behind, and thick enough to hold off most of the possible projectiles. He propped it in the corner of the room on top of the bed. He took his pouch and he slid behind the protective surface of the stone. Removing his spindle of twine, all of the _kunai_ and shuriken, and a sealing scroll, he laid out the tools of his victory in front of him. He attached ten feet of twine to each _kunai_ and carefully drew out seals of strength and protection onto the scroll. He took the scroll and wrapped it around his impromptu shelter, and then took up four _kunai_ in his hand.

He released all four knives into the fray of chakra webbing, each one cocooned in his own chakra and aimed at specific targets. As each blade severed selected threads of charka, the once precisely laid nets collapsed into mindless tangles, releasing a multitude of weapons, gouts of flame, spires of ice and flickers of conflicting illusions. Sasuke withdrew behind the rock slab and listened to the mayhem. After a few minutes, the noise had died and he carefully looked into the room. Smoke and steam wafted through the air, chunks of rubble lay strewn across the floor, and the face of his shield was chipped, pitted, and porcupined with _kunai_, shuriken and kamas. Using his Sharingan he looked out at the remaining traps, and saw that only three or four were still intact. There was a horrible tangle of woven chakra remaining but most of it rendered useless; he could remove that mess at his leisure.

The few remaining were not all that impressive, but Sasuke knew he was in no condition to take risks. Choosing six shuriken, two for each target, he wrapped their tips in chakra and threw them across the room as he ducked back behind his table top. This time the resulting din lasted only a few seconds. Sasuke crawled out from beneath the rock and walked across the room, slashing at the remaining chakra with Sakura.

Satisfied he'd overcome the challenges, he made a final circuit around the room before restoring his table top to it's proper place, and lying down to sleep.


	3. Sharingan

Chapter 3 – _Sharingan_

The remainder of the time Sasuke had spent in the chamber had been an exercise in hunger and extreme boredom. He had spent his time channeling the pain from his wounds, and imagining inflicting similar pains upon Itachi. He had not dared to try anymore of the food, even if he could have swallowed with a hollow reed embedded in his throat.

Kabuto had come to release him from the room after, what Sasuke assumed to be, three days. The medical ninja had taken him to a crude infirmary and demonstrated his skills. The wounds on Sasuke's arms, back and chest had vanished in minutes. The swelling in his throat had subsided while he had been in the chamber, but he had known better than to try to remove the reed from his neck. Kabuto carefully slipped it free of the self-inflicted wound and quickly applied his restorative chakra to the newly bleeding hole. Even so, Sasuke had several moments of instinctive panic as he felt air passing through the wound bringing traces of blood into his lungs. Kabuto's chakra repaired the hole, barely leaving a patch of tender skin. The broken elbow and separated shoulder proved to be more difficult to mend.

Kabuto had done as much as he could, but Sasuke's arm was still very stiff, and bound across his chest in a sling. Now, Kabuto was leading him through the maze of corridors that made up Orochimaru's latest hidden headquarters. They came to a large cavern, the walls and ceiling untouched stone, but the floor had been smoothed flat. Orochimaru stood in the center of the massive room, waiting with apparent patience as Kabuto and Sasuke approached.

"Congratulations, Sasuke-kun. You've survived the first step of your training; not that I expected any less from one such as yourself. Now we can begin in earnest, my new protégé." Orochimaru grinned wickedly at Sasuke, his eyes hiding secrets.

Sasuke walked up to face Orochimaru. He stopped about fifteen feet away, and met the eyes of the legendary ninja. "If we are to begin, _may_ we begin now?" Sasuke asked, his voice dripping with contempt. Orochimaru began to laugh, his raspy chuckle changing to a deep-throated laugh as time passed.

"Sasuke-kun, you still don't understand your place, but for now, we won't worry about that. Today we will begin to cover the basics. We will begin with techniques that you already have the necessary stamina and control to perform. If we confine ourselves to techniques in this category, you should be able to learn them with a great deal of speed thanks to the Sharingan." Orochimaru's gaze took on a strange quality as he looked at Sasuke's eyes. It felt odd to have someone looking at his eyes, rather than _into_ his eyes. To know that Orochimaru had no interest in the mind behind the eyes, but only the eyes themselves, was a very unsettling feeling. "Now, why don't you activate those eyes of yours and I'll show you some techniques."

Sasuke obeyed, pleased that he would finally be learning. His eyes transformed, the triple-dot Sharingan spinning into being as the normal black was invaded by red. He saw shadows of Orochimaru's arms and hands moving up to form seals, followed a moment later by the arms themselves. Sasuke watched as chakra was molded through the seals and Orochimaru began to perform technique after technique.

Sasuke mimicked his sensei, executing each technique mere seconds after the more experienced shinobi. Some of the techniques Sasuke had known for years, others he had never seen before. It didn't matter. Each technique snapped to completion as the seals were finished. Earth, water, fire, and ice element techniques were followed by various forms of replication and replacement, which in turn were followed by offensive jutsus, techniques which used the molded chakra itself as a weapon. Every technique was instantly committed to Sasuke's memory, each already being oriented with the others. Sasuke's mind was already combining these new techniques to form tactics and new jutsus.

Suddenly Orochimaru's hands formed a series of seals that Sasuke could tell would require more chakra than he could control after performing so many techniques. Not wanting stop, he called upon the power of the seal on his shoulder. The seal glowed, spreading the pattern across his chest and face. Chakra surged in his body, flowing into the each seal he formed, molding into a final shape. As the seals completed, the web of chakra tightened on itself and moved away from his body.

The dimly glowing web flew forward, narrowly missing Orochimaru and then impacting on a bulging rock protruding from the wall. The chakra spread over the rock, forming a glowing net. Sasuke could see from the chakra in the net that if it had fallen upon another shinobi, it would be draining the person of their chakra at an astonishing rate…and Sasuke stared, stunned, as he realized it would pass the stolen chakra back to himself.

Orochimaru had stopped forming seals and was grinning at the expression on Sasuke's face. "You are beginning to see," he said, "you see what I can teach one such as you. You knew your limits, and without a second thought, you took action to surpass them. _You_ can go far, if you wish it; _you_ can surpass Uchiha Itachi, if you wish it." Sasuke turned from the glowing net to look at Orochimaru. "Yes, Sasuke-kun, I know of your goals, your desire for revenge."

"Then you know I will go to any lengths to attain it. You know that _I_ know that you're using me, but that I don't care. I just want to kill – my – brother." Sasuke said, a murderous malice permeating his voice.

"I do know that. That and more. Now, let us continue." His hands came up once again and began forming seal after seal.

They had continued for another hour, until Sasuke was completely exhausted and Orochimaru was sagging where he stood. Sasuke had gone back to his room to find a meal waiting on his table, untainted this time, and a pillow and thin blanket waiting on his bed. After wolfing down the food, he had collapsed on the bed and sunk into unconsciousness as soon as his head was on the pillow.

He had slept deeply, and only woken when Kabuto knocked and entered the room.

"Sasuke-kun, it's time for you to wake up now. There's much more for you to learn." Kabuto said nothing more as he left, clearly meaning for Sasuke to follow.

Sasuke rose and walked out of his room. After moving along behind Kabuto for a time, they once again came to the large cavern. As soon as they had reached the center of the room, Kabuto turned and a pair of _kunai_ streaked towards Sasuke.

He dove aside, rolling to his feet and throwing two knives of his own. His knives passed right through the space where Kabuto had been, but now Kabuto was nowhere to be seen. Sasuke rose to a more mobile position, shed the sling on his arm, and activated his Sharingan. He didn't know why Kabuto was suddenly trying to kill him, but he didn't intend to let the foolish man succeed.

With his improved vision, he spotted the threads of chakra that were concealing Kabuto from normal sight. He pushed chakra through his feet to add speed to his lunge for the hidden ninja. Sakura jumped into his hand as he flew through the air. He buried the _kunai_ deep into the web of chakra, hoping to wound Kabuto badly enough to force him to show himself. The chakra flowed around the blade and rebounded back onto Sasuke, pinning him to the floor.

Kabuto shimmered into being behind where Sasuke lay, chuckling at the struggling figure. "I thought that those lovely eyes of yours would have prevented you from falling into such an obvious trap, Sasuke-kun." A hand grabbed Kabuto's wrist and a blade was suddenly against his throat.

"You thought correctly, Kabuto. I saw through your trap and left you a decoy." The trapped Sasuke became a block of stone in a burst of smoke. "And now, because of your arrogance, your life is in my hands." Sasuke grinned wickedly and his hand tightened on Sakura.

"Sasuke-kun, please release Kabuto. I agree that he underestimated you, but having him die would be a great inconvenience. I asked him to bring you here and to have you practice your taijutsu and tactics. The fact that he took you so lightly disappoints me, but he seldom makes the same mistake twice. So with that in mind, release him and face each other again." He moved closer and put his face mere inches from Kabuto's. "And I would advise you to take Sasuke-kun _very_ seriously, Kabuto, as he seems to be harboring a desire to see you dead." Sasuke released Kabuto and they turned to each other. This time, Sasuke took the initiative and disappeared from sight as he began his offensive.


	4. Katon

**A/N: Word is being stupid about footnoting so I'm going to put the translations for the terms that I use in this chapter up here. Katon: Fire Elelment, Amaterasu: Japanese god of the sun (Itachi's black flame jutsu), Katon: Genzon ekitai hinote no jutsu: Fire Element: Living Liquid Blaze technique, Tenketsu: chakra outlets along the chakra circulatory system. I think that's all of the stuff that might not be known to some people. Hope you enjoy it.**

Chapter 4: Katon

The boulder exploded around Sasuke's chattering, chakra-clad hand as he drove a full powered Chidori into the rock. His Sharingan allowed him to see where the flying shards of rock would be a moment before they were actually there; his head blurred as he deftly dodged the flying fragments.

"Excellent, Sasuke-kun, excellent." Orochimaru chuckled from his place against a tree in the clearing Sasuke was using as a training zone. They had to venture further and further from Orochimaru's complex as Sasuke systematically destroyed all the suitable targets for his Chidori. Using the curse-seal, Sasuke could perform the technique three times each day, and if he transformed, he could just manage a fourth. The damage he was causing with each strike was increasing at an amazing rate as well.

He had discovered that if he forced all of the accumulated chakra in his hand outward after it penetrated his target, the explosive power of the impact was far greater. He grinned as he imagined Itachi's body bursting into bloody fragments, torn apart by the furious chakra of his modified Chidori.

Sasuke turned to survey the clearing, looking for another rock to decimate. Finding a promising candidate, his hands rose to form the seals needed for the first stage of the Chidori.

"Wait, Sasuke-kun," Sasuke let his hands fall as Orochimaru walked toward him, "I want to try something a little different now." Sasuke stood, calmly waiting for Orochimaru to explain. They'd been going into the forest everyday for almost three months now, exhausting Sasuke's chakra as quickly as possible while he practiced the Chidori.

Orochimaru's training regimen was based on Sasuke increasing his stamina by expending it every morning, and then training throughout the rest of the day with techniques that required less chakra than the highly-draining Chidori; pushing the limits of his body's ability to recover and control chakra while already being in the process of expending it.

"The Uchiha clan has always prided itself on its Katon-based jutsus," Orochimaru continued. "You have already mastered several yourself, and your brother has created a most admirable one that he has dubbed Amaterasu. Your natural talents are not to be ignored, and as such, I think we should begin working on a new, unique technique that caters to your abilities. Your Chidori has taught you how to collect a very significant amount of chakra at a single location, certainly more than any of your Katon jutsus require, and you demonstrated quite a talent for infusing chakra into inanimate objects during your time locked in my trapped chamber. With these abilities in mind, I've thought of the basic concept for a technique, you'll need to define the details yourself to maximize the effectiveness of the technique, but I think you will find it much to your liking." Orochimaru stopped a few paces from Sasuke and looked at the now speculative teenager.

"Tell me what this 'basic concept' of yours is, sensei." Sasuke said, genuinely intrigued. What Orochimaru said made sense, and Sasuke had to admit that the man was brilliant when it came to jutsu theory; Orochimaru just lacked the ability to perform the techniques at the same level that he conceptualized them.

"The idea is quite simple: gather as much chakra as possible into your torso, much as you do for your other Katon abilities but with more chakra, and then release it from your mouth as flame. However, instead of allowing the chakra to uselessly dissipate as it's released, channel it into the flame and let strings of chakra remain, connecting you to the fire. Using the chakra still connected to your body, you can then control the flame, keep it blazing, and make it as a living liquid, flowing and burning as you will." Orochimaru grinned as Sasuke's face changed slightly, the Uchiha's mouth quirking at the corners; coming from the young man, it was as expressive as a shout of glee. "The most difficult part of mastering this jutsu will likely be learning to control the flame. It will require you to attempt various combinations of restricting and releasing chakra from many tenketsu simultaneously. Given the practice that it will require, I have decided that we will start today. Begin."

Sasuke turned from Orochimaru, thinking about exactly how he was going to perform this new technique. He was also thinking about the potential this new jutsu could have. If it worked as Orochimaru claimed it would – and Sasuke couldn't see why it would not – then it would not only be an excellent offensive ability, but it would also serve as an absolute defense, not unlike that of Gaara or Neji. If he could make the flames burn intensely enough, they could incinerate shinobi or projectile weapons instantly.

Excited with the prospect, he began to gather chakra in his stomach as his hands began forming the seals that would be needed to perform a Katon jutsu, to put his chakra into the flame, and to keep that chakra connected to his chakra circulatory system.

"Katon: Genzon ekitai hinote no jutsu1." Sasuke named his new technique, and quickly expelled the collected chakra. Flame burst from his mouth, streaking toward the rock outcrop that he had previously decided to be a target for his Chidori. The flame was laced with his chakra, connecting the fire to his body. Sasuke exulted in the success of his first attempt at the technique…and then realized that despite the fact he was connected to the fire, his control of it was almost not-existent; he could increase or decrease the intensity of the flame, or make it move, but he had no ability to move it where he wanted. Just as he realized this, he also noticed that the rock had begun to melt; lava was now flowing in a slowly expanding puddle. He immediately withdrew his chakra from the fire, dousing the flames.

He stood staring in surprise at the glowing puddle that had been a boulder less than a second before. The lava spread slowly, the surface cooling back to a state of solid rock, but the underside of the shifting mass remained liquid. The surrounding brush was instantly charred by the intense heat, most of it crumpling into fine ash leaving small piles of dust in place of lush undergrowth. Sasuke began to worry at the potential for an uncontrollable brush fire and was quickly analyzing options on how to contain the threat.

He felt a swell of chakra behind him, and heard a few muttered words. Just as he turned to see what Orochimaru was doing, a malevolent vortex of ice and wind lanced past him, engulfing the super-heated rock.

Billows of steam erupted from the lava and ice, and deafening cracks echoed through the forest as the rock cooled and fractured. Fragments of rock flew through the clearing, still hot enough to leave a patch of charcoal on the trees and bushes as they ricocheted through the woods.

Sasuke dodged the bits of stone easily; it was far more difficult to avoid the aftermath of a Chidori. Orochimaru was having more trouble, but he seemed to be weaving between the flying fragments without _too_ many problems. The man was a genius, and brilliant with jutsus, but in a purely physical sense, Sasuke had seen much better.

Sasuke saw three larger chunks of stone, still retaining orange veins of lava on their surface, streaking through the air toward his sensei, and there was no way that Orochimaru was going to avoid them. Sasuke launched himself at Orochimaru, drawing Sakura from the sheath on his leg as he poured chakra from his feet to add speed to his movements. In one motion, the _kunai_ was out of the sheath, spinning around his index finger, gaining momentum and then cast toward the closest of the incoming rocks. Sakura sailed into the rock and sent it careening into the furthest of the flying fragments, knocking both onto courses that would send them harmlessly into the forest. The final burning stone was intercepted by Sasuke's kick as its heat charred a protruding fold on Orochimaru's kimono.

The last of the fragments broke free of the rapidly cooling rock and the two shinobi dodged the final barrage, Sasuke intercepting two more pieces of stone before they could find his sensei. Sasuke returned to a calm, but ready, stance; leaning slightly on his left leg, ready to push off into a quick burst of speed if the need arose.

Orochimaru was panting slightly as he turned to survey his protégé. "Very well done, Sasuke-kun, very well done. And thank you. Having to deal with those annoying rocks myself would have been a nuisance, but I will emphasize that I _could_ have done it on my own. I am not nearly so helpless as you seem to believe. I did kill the Sandaime myself, and he was by no means weak."

Sasuke looked at the older man skeptically, but after a moments thought, decided to believe him. A shinobi capable of finishing the Hokage would definitely be able to avoid a few chunks of rock. However Sasuke didn't like admitting that he had underestimated his sensei so he let it pass with a quiet, and dry, "Of course, sensei."


	5. My Own Way

Sasuke walked through the now abandoned Uchiha enclave, making his way through the damaged streets and unkempt alleys. He needed to get to the temple, he had no choice. He turned the last corner; the temple was barely a hundred feet ahead. Sasuke broke into a run; he _needed_ to get there, no matter the cost.

He felt a surge of chakra in front of him, and Itachi materialized before his eyes, blocking his way. The legendary missing nin watched as Sasuke skidded to a stop, triple-pipped Sharingan regarding him coldly.

"What are you doing Otoutouyo?" Itachi asked calmly. "You will find no easy answers in the shrine. You know what the scrolls say. You know what you must do, but you cannot do it. You lack _hatred_. To gain the power you seek…you know that _he_ must die, by your hand. You had your opportunity, but you could not complete the task."

Sasuke shook with rage and hate…and fear. _I can't kill him yet, he's too strong, too fast. He will show me no mercy, there's no one to save me this time. I'm going to die, I'm going to be killed by Itachi in the end, after all. I **won't** be killed here and now, I will **fight** and I will take his life!_

"Sharingan!" Sasuke quickly formed the seals for the Chidori and pushed all the chakra he could into his left hand. Keeping his eyes on Itachi's chest, he leapt forward, driving his thrust straight for his brother's heart.

Even with his complete Sharingan, Sasuke couldn't see Itachi move. Suddenly there was a crushing grip on his wrist and a foot landed brutally on the back of his leg, breaking his knee. Before the pain had fully reached his quickly clouding mind, his wrist snapped, and a knee was hammered into his spine bending him backwards to stare helplessly into his brother's cold, emotionless eyes.

"Foolish Otoutouyo. Mangekyou Sharingan! Tsukyomi…"

The name of the genjutsu echoed in Sasuke's ears as he fell into his brother's technique. The sky turned red, the clouds went black, and the sound of a thousand rushing waterfalls filled the air. Sasuke began screaming as soon as he had control of his body in the world his brother had created around him. He knew there was no escape, and he knew that his brother would not leave him alive.

Itachi appeared in front of him, holding an unconscious Naruto by the back of his orange coat.

"This is the one who you most care for, Sasuke. You couldn't bear to see him die could you? I will show you how easy it would have been." Itachi shook Naruto, and the helpless boy groaned as he came around.

Naruto screamed as he realized Itachi held him. He desperately tried to escape, kicking and punching at the Uchiha holding him. With each attempted strike, Itachi countered with a cruel slash from a kunai in his other hand. In less than a second Naruto's arms and legs hung limply, blood dripping from the severed muscles. Naruto was coughing, screaming, rasping for breath, overwhelmed by the pain.

Sasuke moved to stop Itachi, and found that his feet were rooted to the ground. Itachi turned from watching Naruto to regard Sasuke.

"Just watch, Otoutouyo. You always asked for my help when you wanted to learn, and now I will teach you the most valuable lesson you will ever get. I will even demonstrate in a way I'm sure you will be able to appreciate."

Itachi's free hand began forming half-seals, Sasuke recognized the sequence for Chidori just before the chakra began to glow in his brother's hand. Itachi raised his chakra-clad hand and drove it through Naruto's chest, just to the right of his heart. A fatal blow, but not one to bring instant death. Naruto's mouth opened as he tried to scream, but a shower of blood erupted and he choked. Sasuke watched as his best friend convulsed, shaking as blood poured from his chest. Finally, Naruto was still, and Itachi let him fall to the ground. Sasuke stared at the lifeless body; Naruto was dead.

Itachi appeared in front of him, holding an unconscious Naruto… "This is the one"…Naruto screamed…arms and legs…blood dripping…Chidori…Naruto convulsing…lifeless body…Naruto…dead.

Itachi appeared…"This is the one"…blood…Chidori…Naruto…lifeless…dead.

Itachi…Chidori…Naruto…dead.

Naruto…dead.

Dead.

Dead.

Dead.

Sasuke sat up, ripping the thin blanket from his body. His breath came in gasps at first, and then slowed to panting as he realized it had been a dream. A dream, but he could remember the pain. His wrist ached, his knee shot white hot lances up his leg, and his back screamed. Most of all, though – he was injured emotionally. He had watched Naruto die. _How many times? Too many… _He slowly calmed down, but he knew that he would get no more sleep.

Like every morning, there came a knock on his door, but this time, Orochimaru entered instead of Kabuto. Sasuke watched as his sensei moved into the room and sat on the edge of the table.

"Sasuke-kun, today's training will be different. Today you will spar with Kabuto, but it will be with no mercy. I will only intercede to prevent the death of either of you…any injury short of death will be allowed. Come."

Sasuke rose from his bed, quickly grabbed his equipment pouch and shuriken holster, and followed Orochimaru from the room.

They arrived at the main cavern and Sasuke saw Kabuto waiting, with that infuriating smirk on his face. Sasuke grinned back, knowing that Kabuto had no idea how much he'd learned. Kabuto was rarely around for the training sessions, and hadn't seen either of Sasuke's new Katon jutsus.

They stood facing each other as Orochimaru walked to the edge of the chamber.

"Now, I expect that both of you will be eager to put your abilities to the test, given that it's quite obvious how much you despise each other. However, I do not wish to have either of you dead. If I am forced to intervene, it will not be…_pleasant_…for you. Begin!"

Sasuke activated his Sharingan, and began forming seals for Katon: Genzon ekitai hinote no jutsu. Fire erupted from his mouth, and instantly billowed back, forming a flaming sphere surrounding his body. Over the past months, his control over the flames had increased beyond all expectations. Inside the sphere was a relatively normal temperature, but the heat on the surface of the sphere would reduce a kunai to vapour before it even touched the flame. Once the shield was formed, he simply maintained the flames and waited for Kabuto to make his move.

Kabuto stepped back slightly as he felt the heat coming from the flaming dome over Sasuke, but his arrogant posture quickly returned as he formed seals to encase the flames in mud.

Sasuke grinned as his Sharingan saw the technique, and what it was going to do. His hands quickly rose once more and formed the seals for his second new Katon jutsu.

"Katon: Nenshou Chidori no jutsu!" This time, the fire erupted from the palm of his outstretched hand, but the flames shifted as they streaked toward Kabuto. The core of the blaze was revealed, showing a concentrated Chidori encased in the flames.

Kabuto abandoned his half-formed technique and dove to the side to avoid the lethal attack. Sasuke grinned viscously as the fingers of his outstretched hand moved, pulling invisible chakra strings connected to the fire. The flaming Chidori followed Kabuto as he rolled aside, grazing his left sleeve. The sleeve ignited and electricity shot through the medical ninja's body.

Kabuto screamed in pain as his body spasmed uncontrollably. The Nenshou Chidori impacted the ground behind Kabuto and exploded, leaving a crater in the solid rock. Seeing Kabuto's weakness, Sasuke sprinted forward, the flaming shield moving as a spearhead in front of him. Sasuke formed a full powered Chidori in his left hand, and aimed for Kabuto's uninjured arm.

Sasuke was less than a foot from striking when the shadows of Kabuto that showed his future moved unexpectedly. Sasuke was moving too fast to compensate for Kabuto's sudden roll, and watched as his Chidori drilled into the ground and Kabuto formed seals to trap him in a bed of solid rock.

The ground split open and rose to meet Sasuke as he overbalanced. He could do nothing, and soon, he was encased up to his chest is living, shifting rock.

Kabuto laughed as he watched Sasuke struggle to break free. His hands were held far apart in the stone, so there was no chance to form seals, and his control of the Living Liquid Flame had disappeared from the shock of Kabuto's jutsu.

Kabuto's eyes showed no sign of rational thought, or reason. Sasuke knew that Kabuto meant to kill him. Orochimaru couldn't see Kabuto's face from where he stood, watching, and by the time he realized Kabuto's intent, it would be too late.

Kabuto had a hooked kunai in his left hand, hidden from Orochimaru by his body. He walked slowly up to Sasuke, and Sasuke knew that he was going to die. _There's no way I can get out of this jutsu, Orochimaru won't know what's happening until it's too late. I'm going to die, Itachi will live. I can't let that happen._

Kabuto stopped just in front of him, grinning madly. "You are going to die, Sasuke-kun. Your arrogance has been your undoing, and now, I will kill you."

Sasuke saw the shadows of Kabuto move; saw the kunai come up to slash his throat, and knew that in a few seconds he would be dead. _I wasn't strong enough to defeat Kabuto, how did I ever think I could kill Itachi? The man who killed my clan, my parents…the man that I swore to kill, will not die by my hands because I was too weak to defeat a flunky of Orochimaru. **NO!** I cannot let this happen. I will avenge my clan. It is my purpose, the reason I'm alive. I will kill Itachi, I want to kill Itachi, I **must**__kill Itachi! **I cannot die here!**_

Sasuke felt his chakra surge, flowing uncontrollably into his Sharingan. He felt his eyes transform, changed by the massive amount of chakra, his vision blurred. After what seemed an eternity, the tidal wave of chakra subsided, and his vision cleared. He saw that Kabuto hadn't even begun to move, and knew that the whole transformation had taken almost no time at all. Then he realized how much sharper his vision was, how much clearer the future-ghosts of Kabuto were, and how much further into the future they revealed. He also realized that the use of the Tsukyomi that Itachi had used on him, that he had copied with his Sharingan but couldn't use, was suddenly perfectly clear. He realized that he had obtained the Mangekyou Sharingan, and he had done it his own way.

Sasuke grinned wickedly as he quickly collected chakra into his eyes and stared into the depths of Kabuto's mind.

"Mangekyou Sharingan! Tsukyomi…" Sasuke released the chakra from his eyes and webbed it around Kabuto's brain.

Sasuke entered the World of the Grasping Moon for the first time as the omnipotent controller. He saw Kabuto standing helpless, and decided that he wanted vengeance.

Kabuto was suddenly lying strapped to a steel slab, unable to move, and naked. Sasuke approached him, holding the same hooked kunai that Kabuto had been about to use to cut his throat.

Sasuke stared down at the helpless medical shinobi and smiled.

"I don't know if you're aware of this genjutsu, Kabuto, but here, I control everything. Matter, time, energy…everything; even how much you bleed." Sasuke brought the point of the kunai to Kabuto's left arm and cut into the skin, opening a surface vein with surgical precision.

Kabuto screamed as blood poured out of the wound, and Sasuke moved on to the same vein on the other arm. Sasuke systematically moved over Kabuto's body, slicing into every surface vein and artery, but carefully controlling the bleeding. Kabuto would not die from this…Sasuke had other plans before he gave Kabuto his release.

Once Kabuto's body was completely covered in precise lacerations, Sasuke moved to his eyes. He created a throwing needle, and carefully inserted it into Kabuto's pupil, reveling in the shrieks and groans that it created. Another needle impaled the other eye, bringing more, horrible, wonderful screams.

Sasuke paused, and watched as Kabuto writhed in agony. Sasuke once again took up the kunai, and drove it into Kabuto's torso, half severing his diaphragm. Sasuke laughed as Kabuto tried to scream, but could only wheeze.

Kabuto began to beg, rasping out pathetic words, showing how weak he truly was. Sasuke wrenched open his mouth and impaled Kabuto's tongue with a needle, leaving it stretched cruelly outside his mouth as the needle pressed into his face.

Finished with _this_ Kabuto, Sasuke remember what Kakashi had said about Itachi creating doubles of the victim. Sasuke created many more Kabutos and many more of himself, and went to work. The World of the Grasping Moon filled with the anguished screams of Orochimaru's henchman, and the laughter of the newest master of the Mangekyou.

Sasuke ended the technique after ninety-six hours of torturing Kabuto, knowing that less than two seconds had passed in normal time. His vision of the world around him returned just in time to watch Kabuto collapse to the ground unconscious, and Orochimaru rush forward to prevent Sasuke from finishing him as the rock-prison disintegrated. Sasuke looked at Orochimaru as he rushed forward.

"Don't worry sensei, I'm done with him…for now."


End file.
